The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Hibiscus, botanically know as Hibiscus rosa-sinensis and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name `Hoosiers`.
The new Hibiscus is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Fort Myers, Fla. The objective of the program was to create new Hibiscus selections with red and white bi-colored flowers.
The new Hibiscus originated from a cross made by the Inventor in Fort Myers, Fla., of the Hibiscus rosa-sinensis cultivar `Starfish`, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with the Hibiscus rosa-sinensis cultivar `Coconut Ice`, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The cultivar `Hoosiers` was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross in a controlled environment in Fort Myers, Fla.
Plants of the new Hibiscus have white and dark red bi-colored flowers, whereas plants of the cultivar `Starfish` have yellow and red-orange bi-colored flowers and plants of the cultivar `Coconut Ice` have light pink-colored flowers.
Asexual reproduction of the new Hibiscus by terminal cuttings taken in a controlled environment in Fort Myers, Fla., has shown that the unique features of this new Hibiscus are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.